With only 8 more games remaining in the regular season, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are getting ready to clash against each other at TD Garden in what will be a very important match which will determine who of the two teams will take control of the 4th spot.

Boston Celtics are currently 5th in the East with a 44-31 record which should be enough to keep them in the top 8, however, they have not been too impressive recently. Looking back at their last 5 fixtures, Boston were defeated by Denver Nuggets (105:114), Philadelphia 76ers (118:115), Charlotte Hornets (124:117) and San Antonio Spurs (96:115). On the bright side, Boston managed to win against Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night (106:116), thus ending their 4 games losing streak. While winning against Cleveland is not a huge achievement in a wider picture, it's still an improvement for Celtics who seemingly lost their rhythm since the All-Star Break.

Indiana Pacers much like their opponents struggle to impress with their results. While they still somehow managed to hold on to the 4th spot in the league, Pacers lost 5 out of their last 6 fixtures. In that regard, they are holding the same 1-4 record in the last 5 as Celtics. Looking back, Indiana managed to defeat Denver Nuggets (124:88) on Sunday night, but the same cannot be said for matches against Oklahoma City Thunder (107:99), Golden State Warriors (112:89), Los Angeles Clippers (115:109) and Portland Trail Blazers (106:89). Despite their mediocre performances in recent matches, I am still impressed by the fact they held on to the 4th spot despite the injury of their star player Oladipo who will remain out for the season.

Indiana Pacers will only miss Oladipo who will remain out for the season. Boston Celtics have Horford and Williams are both listed as probable.

As said, the fact that Indiana managed to hold on to the playoff spot even though they lost their star in January is admirable, however, it's hard to be too positive about a team that lacks any real quality and talent. That will be put to a real test tonight as they face off against struggling Celtics, who despite holding a terrible record still deserve to be respected. With their exceptional defence, I believe Celtics are more than ready to make it harder for Indiana to walk away with a W. While it still remains to be seen if Boston can get it together and start performing on a higher level before the playoffs, I feel confident saying Boston is the better side here. The last time these two sides met was in January when Boston won by a huge margin of 27 points (135:108). While we can not expect another blowout win for them due to recent struggles, I would not be surprised if they end up winning by double digits or at least close to it. In conclusion, expect Boston to win and pass Indiana at 4th place in the West in what should be a match which will end in 220s.

Prediction: Over 213.50 points